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Thursday, 29 April 2010

This post is going to be mostly about the Highcliffe Exhibition but I have just found out something exciting about the topic of cutters that we've all been discussing lately (mostly because I'm lusting after a computer controlled version). I'm certainly going to look at the robo cutter that Margaret R recommends. Thanks for the link, Mags - looks promising.It seems that the new Bernina cutter will cut almost anything - not just cutwork, as I was told. Jude, I stand corrected! Best of all I am going to have one to play with for a while. It all sounds really good but it will have to be after Italy now, as I only have next week for all the getting ready (I'm going over early to suss out all the places the class needs to see). This is research, you understand - not an extra bit of holiday.

The exhibition open day was great fun ( I'll be there on 30th May, Imo - if you come we can have a coffee!) Loads of people came. familiar faces and new converts. It is also interesting to talk to the castle's 'normal' visitors. They are often totally fascinated and want to know in detail how the work is made. I hope we inspire some of them to visit their local guild branch.

Here is a general view.

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Plus a view of 'my'bit.

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These are some of my Fossil Tidelines. the display was acidental - the plinth was just so handy.

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Ruby Lever is always good Here is her piece, 'Roses and Gingko'.

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Plus detail.

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Not much work sold off the wall yesterday but lots of samll pieces - bags, books and jewellery went well. Brenda Weeks has a great new style - loved these. 'Mamma Mia' and 'Greek Door' respectively..

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Rosemary Jarvis produces dramatic views of Exmoor - worked using her own special form of felting.

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Here is Maggie Hills with another form of landscape - she has been working in a different way, too - more pics next time.

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Carla Mines - a very interesting piece called '6 Feet Under' - you can see why. Based on laminated pages of EU directives on waste disposal.

Tuesday, 27 April 2010

We've been busy setting up the new exhibition for the Wessex Textile Artists at Highcliffe Castle, nr Christchurch, Dorset. Tomorrow is 'Meet the Artist's Day' and we will all be there, ready to show you our work and talk about the pieces, if required. On the other hand, some of us, possibly moi, might be skulking in the coffee shop, where the cakes are rather good. Seriously, we'd love to see you and I shall be blogging tomorrow with pics of the event and the work. Here is a taster..

Maggie Hills makes these delicious little landscapes - and she's moving into chickens! All will be explained tomorrow.

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If Maggie's keen on chickens I am, as you all know, rather fond of fish. especially fossil fishes so some of my pieces are based on these. They also tie in with my title line for this exhibition which is 'Articles of Faith'. The fish is an early Christian symbol - the others are more obscure. I'll show you on tomorrow's blog..

.I was also asked to include my piece 'Binary Humanity' which went to the Susan Lenz exhibition in the USA. Not sure that it fits in articles of faith as it is all about the internet. I guess we all have to have faith in it working, since we depend on it so much..

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Do come to Highcliffe tomorrow if you can make it. I have a couple of free passes (it costs a small amount as an admission charge). If anyone local is interested, email me for details maggie@workshopontheweb.com and I'll meet you outside..

Thank you so much for all the messages about Stevens. I am sad but feel it was the right thing. Stevens was a terrific mouser and Smudge is doing his best to keep up the tradition. However, he hasn't quite grasped the fact that it's not supposed to be a social occasion. Here he is having a chat - it's all a bit like Garfield, isn't it?

..I'm still looking for the Silhouette cutter, Wabbit - sounds good. I shall run it to earth soon, I hope. I'm going to be loaned one of the Bernina stitcher/cutters which sounds most exciting. I have lots of ideas and will report on my progress. Because of Italy, it is likely to be the beginning of June before I get my hands on it..

Love the idea of the handwritten blogs Gina and Gill. Of course I remember that workshop, Gill - but the one with you that I most remember is when Val came to give the class a talk on computer design. She was telling us how she never paid for software - then we introduced her to 'the old bill' sitting in the audience! I still laugh about that one..

Mags R - let me know the name of the cutter if you remember it..I had a lovely email from Anji Holroyd, who had just sold this great piece at her open studio event. It's quite big and she was very flattering about how Workshop on the Web helped to put it together. Thanks Anji - it's a great piece..

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I shall be back tomorrow with news of the exhibition (or Thursday depending on the state of exhaustion). I'm also hoping to have news that finally Sue Rangeley's book will be with us - it's being loaded on a lorry as we speak, so this weekend it should be available. Fiona and I have been putting together some super give-aways for early-bird orders so get on Fiona's 'let me know' list fiona@d4daisy.com.

Tuesday, 20 April 2010

Hi Folks - doesn't it bring it home to you that Mother Nature is in charge. So sorry for all those people who can't get home. Must be scary. Poor Fiona was going to Athens on Friday - Sophie's first proper holiday abroad. They went to Cadbury World instead, not quite on a par with the Acropolis. Fiona should have had first class tickets for Cadbury, based on the number of their products she consumes - without putting on any weight. Life is so unfair, sigh.

Not wishing to make light of anyone's suffering, but it did strike me that the erruption was a good subject for a Displacement Map as it has caused such a huge displacement. I went to the Met Office site and used their Volcano images on a page filled with a pale gradient. Just did a bucket fill.

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Then used the Volcano image as a Displacement Map.

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.Set it on tile and followed it up with a Hot Wax Effect (make sure you have white as a foreground colour).

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Quite a good image, I'm pleased with it.

Made a mistake in the last blog - Sian's group exhibition is at the Ginger Fig Gallery in Taunton, not the Green Fig as I said. Ginger sounds much more appetising!

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Sulphursue - glad to have the explanation of your handle. I always remember that the docks at Vancouver had a huge heap of sulphur.

.Heather - yes, it was interesting that both my girls asked me to get them a copy of Stitch magazine. Then they spoiled it by saying they wanted it because it was a great pic of the cat.

.Ah, Jude all is explained. I have been promised a trial with the Bernina cutter but, as far as I can see, that does cutwork. I wanted one to cut stencils and shapes from paper and card. Wabitt's equipment sounds good - going to look into that. Much more affordable. Thanks Wab.

Now the Sue book is finally at the printers I am trying to catch up with myself but finding it hard to settle. Is anyone else like this after a big project concludes? I shall be fine in a day or so but to date my best artistic effort has been lunch with Jane Wild at the garden centre. We got carried away with the 'bogof' to get the free packets of seed and then had to divide them in the car park on a windy day.

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I have performed the last kind act for cat Stevens - it was very hard but she seemed to be in so much pain. Although she didn't do anything but sleep and bite people in the last few months, we do miss her. Except for Smudge who is enjoying being an 'only'. Thanks for all your lovely messages.

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Tomorrow I am going to meet my third cousin once removed. We found him through the Ancestry site and we are meeting at a posh hotel for afternoon tea. Then on Saturday we are off to a wedding so I have lots of social stuff to cheer me up.

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Back soon - with news of the Sue Rangeley book, I hope. The printer's proofs are the best I have ever seen. Exciting.

Monday, 12 April 2010

Lovely to have so many comments - all answered a little further down the blog.

We have had a fraught time (what else is new!) mostly with cats. Smudge chased Stevens who bit him with her poison fang, so we've been rushing to and from the vet, dealing with the resulting abscess. He's now fine but she is going downhill fast (nothing to do with the chase, she's been ill for a while) and I fear we will have to make the dreaded decision soon. I'd hoped she could have another summer but it doesn't seem likely.

To more cheerful subjects - we had a day out on Saturday and saw two great exhibitions. The first was Sian Martin's 'Stitch' group exhibition at the Green Fig Gallery in Taunton, Somerset - fabulous stuff. I've reviewed it for the next WoW so won't show too much but here is a little taster, one of Carol Griffin's pieces based on lips.

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Followed by one of Tricia Hubbard's environmental pieces.

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Then on to Glastonbury where we found Alicia Merrett, quilter and Nina Gronw-Lewis, glass artist at the Rural Life Museum. I do love glass - just look at this work.

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Quilts look great when viewed through glass - see below.

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The quilts and the glass worked so well together and Alicia's colours are brilliant - in every sense. the piece below is called Earth Trilogy.

Again I've reviewed this in the unrestricted part of Workshop on the Web so look for the review in June.

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Must show you these pics from my Beyond Stitch group's last meeting. Textiles as a hazardous occupation.

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Jeanne and Glynda were using some powdered D'uva paints and we weren't sure if they were a hazard. Better safe than sorry! I've always used these with a special solution but they seemed to work great on top of gesso.

CommentsNot really the way you want to lose weight, Heather. Hope you are better now.

Sulphursue (how did you get that name?) thanks for info.

Thanks for cutter details Wabbit -what is your cutter called? Do you download a file or is the cutter USB attached? That is my price range!

Jude - what make is yours? any info?

Liniecat I lust after your funeral director's diary. She is catalogue killing - do go to her blog and look. You'll find her in the last lot of comments.

The diet - yes, at first you are very hungry, Jackie but, honestly, I don't notice it now. In fact I quite look forward to the 'down' days. I had a good eat at Easter so haven't weighed since. Back on the diet now.

J - I can't remember the diet guy's name but will find out and post next time.

Gill - it really is that easy. It's a bit like jam tomorrow and never jam today.

Robyn - I do find the iphone touch keys very difficult and would rather have a pull-out and stylus.

Thanks for the site info Gloria, will check that out.

Georgayne - envy, envy, envy

Jane - really interested that WoW works OK on your CoolEr reader. I got my first ebook (or ibook) when I ran out of books at Easter when shops were shut. I found it quite OK to read on the iphone. My main beef is that ebooks seem so expensive - not much cheaper than Amazon paperbacks.

Back very soon folks. The Sue Rangeley book is at the printers and printer proofs are due this week. At last. I am planning a super give-away for early orders so check outhttp://www.d4daisy.com/ to get your name on the list to be notified.

Monday, 5 April 2010

Hooray! The Sue Rangeley book has gone to the printers and I am a free woman - at least until the printer's proofs arrive next week. I seem to have been gone for ages so make yourselves comfortable and let's have a great gossip.

I didn't quite finish talking about the Madeira Show at the NEC. I was impressed - might even consider taking a stand next year. I'm lusting after a digital cutter - Kim Thittichai has been playing with one and I'd love to have a go. I bet they cost arms and legs - does anyone know how much? Here are a couple of Kim's designs.

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Her stand was good - here is Jemma from Vilene minding it for her - they sponsored the workshops which all looked great fun.

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Today I managed an hour in the workroom, producing a design to stitch at the Beyond Stitch group tomorrow. I have been so busy that I haven't seen any of my friends lately - even missed the Solstice Sisterhood's lunch last week - so it'll be good to catch up with everyone.

I am working on a series called The Writing on the Wall - hope to show it at the Knitting & Stitching show as part of the Wessex Textiles exhibition. It will also be good for the Italian teaching trip as part of it is based on frescos and old walls. Taking the form of long thin horizontal textiles - mostly mixed media - I'm working some rough designs in a long thin sketch books. Here is one of them - just papers and oddments laying down ready to be stuck.

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Plus a detail. It is possible, using an adapted Isobel Hall technique (such a clever girl, our book is coming on well), to get a very fresco-like look with Evolon. More details later.

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Lots of painted Evolon is emerging from the workroom. I like this messy stage - getting the background paper and fabric painted, ready for the next stage.

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Any of you lot across the water got an ipad yet? Clive is desperate to get one - he thinks it will totally change the way publishing happens - could be good for Workshop on the Web. We'd be able to be really interactive, with lots of videos, all on a fairly light piece of kit that could be propped up in the workroom. In the meantime, Fiona is working on a Facebook page for WoW so we will be able to have our movies there for now. Watch this space.

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More gossip - I have lost 16 pounds in weight on a rather odd diet. The woodworking-son-in-law read about it in a magazine, tried it, lost weight and felt really well. I have been at it for the last six weeks. You diet every other day - calorie counting and going very low. It is supposed to be about 6oo kcals but my intake is usually around 700. The next day you eat whatever you like. The theory is that your body gets confused and doesn't shut down the metabolism because of the big eating day. The first week is hell and then you realise that you actually have more energy on the low days and feel incredibly virtuous. My halo is shining so brightly that we don't have to have the lights on until 7pm (or is that the clocks going back?). I have slowed down a little and just do Monday Wednesday and Friday as 'low' days, with a careful weekend.

I'll report back on the latest losses soon. (If I go quiet on that topic you will know why!). Meanwhile - back to the workroom.